The Bike Site

• St Johns bridge construction continues thru late 2005, single (narrow) travel lane per direction and the sidewalks are closed, bikes must use the roadway. Best to avoid.

Here are some route tips sent to us by cyclists coming from different areas of Portland:

• From the Irvington Neighborhood:
  During winter months take the Burnside Bridge to OHSU, this is an excellent route with very little traffic of car or pedestrian type. This is not a great route for going home as the traffic seems to more than double and the routes that are so easy coming into town are far less convenient headed back. I take The Steele Bridge or The Broadway Bridge home. The Broadway Bridge is another good route downtown, though current construction requires you to bike on the north side with bike and pedestrian traffic going the opposite way.
  
  
• From SE Division and 162nd:
  Take Division west toward Portland; turn left on 78th; turn right on Woodward; turn right on 52nd and go about 200 feet; turn left on Clinton. Follow Clinton down to 21st; turn right; at Division, turn left and then bear right at an angle. NOTE: This is a very hazardous intersection. Use Caution! Follow bike route signs through Ladd Circle over to Hawthorne Blvd. and over the Hawthorne Bridge. Once in downtown, continue up to Broadway; turn left on and follow it through Portland State Univ. and across I-405 to Sam Jackson Park Rd. This is a safe route.
  
  
• From Sellwood:
  Go across the Sellwood Bridge; follow along the river and across Macadam Ave.; take Corbett up and over I-5; turn left at 4-way stop and up to Barbur. Cross and take Hamilton up to Terwilliger. Turn right on Terwilliger and turn left on homestead. Follow the road and it will bring you out at the South Campus parking lot across from CDRC on Gaines.
  Warning: Crossing Barbur Blvd. is dangerous!
  
  
• From Beaverton:
  Head east on Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway (Hwy 10) until the road,"Y's" off to the left to SW Capitol Highway (about .5 mile past Dosch Rd). Follow Capitol NE PI mile and turn left on Terwilliger.

  If you live in the Cedar Mill area, you might want to take Barnes road up to Skyline Blvd., cruise down to the Sylvan area, then take Humphrey Blvd to the short jaunt on Talbot, over to Fairmont and down Marquam Hill Road.

  From Cedar Hills, Highway 26 is even an option--but only eastbound. There's a fairly wide shoulder which doubles as a bike route and in the morning during rush hour, you can sometimes pedal faster uphill than the traffic beside you! You turn off the highway at Pointer Road which parallels the highway up to the road that crosses over to the cemetery. Then there's a bike lane the rest of the way to the Sylvan exit, where you connect with Humphrey Blvd, Talbot, Fairmont, and Marquam Hill Road. This is the fastest way from the north end of Beaverton to OHSU, and probably the safest.

  The way home to Cedar Hills takes a turn once you cross the highway at the cemetery. You need to head down Canyon Road, but if you turn right at the first stop light onto Canyon Lane, it's a nice scenic and much slower-paced road that parallels Canyon Road for a while. It meets up with it again when the car lots begin and the shoulder reappears.

• From St. Johns:
  St Johns to OHSU. Head east on Willamette Blvd along the bluff. Take a slight right to stay on Willamette where it intersects Portland Blvd (right turn permitted for bikes only). Turn left onto Killingsworth and cross Greeley at the traffic light. Stay on Killingsworth several blocks to Interstate or, for a quieter ride, take a right at Burrage and a left to re-join Willamette Blvd (no signal at Willamette & Greeley). Turn right onto Interstate Ave. Stay on Interstate, following the Yellow Line Max tracks, all the way through the industrial area below the Fremont Bridge. At Tillamook, veer right for the Broadway bridge ramp (closed to all traffic thru 9/6/2004) or stay on Interstate to the Rose Quarter and take the Steel Bridge across the river. If you take the Steel Bridge, stay on Glisan several blocks and turn left onto Broadway. Take Broadway all the way up past PSU & over I-405. Follow the bike lane right around the corner onto SW 6th ave past Duniway Park. Turn left up the hill on Terwilliger and right onto campus at Casey Eye Institute. With few minor exceptions this route is all on bike lanes. Distance: 10+ miles.
  OHSU to St Johns. Head downhill on Terwilliger around the corner to 6th (sometimes easier done on the paved multiuse path). Cross over I-405 on 6th and turn right on Hall or Harrison and left onto 4th (avoid Streetcar construction on Harrison beyond 4th). From 4th, turn right onto Market and get into 2nd lane from the left (take the whole lane here). Turn left onto Naito Parkway and ease into Waterfront Park. This is a busy section but the signals keep traffic managable. Bike through Waterfront park and cross the river on the Steel Bridge path or take the Hawthorne Bridge over to the East Bank Esplanade depending on the amount of foot traffic in the park. The north end of Esplanade terminates at Oregon St & Interstate Ave. Use the new bike signal to cross intersection on the diagonal and end up on Interstate. Follow Yellow Line Max tracks back up to Killingsworth. Turn left onto Killingsworth then right onto Willamette Blvd. Distance: 10+ miles.
  Options: Hop on the Yellow Line Max for a shorter ride or if the weather turns bad. There are bike lockers at all stops, bring your own lock.